91 - 94 North Wall Quay

About the Project

This landmark semi-detached commercial development at North Wall Quay, Dublin 1, encompasses approximately 50,000 square meters of premium office space. Designed as a dual-block structure split directly down the middle, the project represents the state-of-the-art in modern building services engineering, combining ambitious sustainability targets with highly efficient space utilization. 

Delivered as a "grey box" shell and core development to allow for highly customizable, premium tenant fit-outs, the primary engineering mandate was to deliver a master building infrastructure that guaranteed top-tier environmental performance across the entire asset lifespan. 

Technical Specifications and Performance Achieved 

The engineering strategies implemented went significantly beyond standard design compliance, delivering historic operational benchmarks for the Irish commercial real estate sector: 

• Environmental Accreditations: Achieved a dual-standard benchmark, combining prestigious LEED Gold certification with strict adherence to BCO/BREEAM daylighting standards. 
• Regulatory Pioneer: Engineered as the very first Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) compliant development in Ireland. Notably, our team anticipated and achieved these stringent metrics before the regulations were formally codified into Irish law, future-proofing the asset against transition risk. 
• Building Energy Rating (BER): Secured a premier A3 BER rating, maximizing asset valuation while minimizing long-term operational overheads. 
• Energy Cost Optimization: Advanced dynamic simulation modeling verified that the completed design delivers a 35.58% net reduction in energy costs relative to standard ASHRAE baseline averages, earning 15 full LEED credits. 

Architectural and Engineering Integration

Achieving landmark NZEB performance at this scale required absolute synchronization between architectural fluid dynamics and advanced environmental engineering systems. 

Advanced Daylighting Design

Mechanically leveraging a clear-sky LEED analytical framework, the floor plates and facades were sculpted to optimise natural light penetration. The engineered envelope ensures that 90% of the usable floor area sits within the optimal 300 to 3,000 Lux threshold at the equinox. This design comfortably surpasses standard BCO/BREEAM metrics requiring an Average Daylight Factor (ADF) of over 2% across 80% of the floor area, substantially driving down the building's daytime reliance on artificial illumination. 

Comprehensive Dynamic Simulation Modeling

The entire building envelope, internal heat gains, and seasonal microclimatic variables were stress-tested using Tas Dynamic Simulation Modeling software. By simulating continuous hourly timesteps against representational Dublin climatic data, including precise solar radiation, wind speed vectoring, and relative humidity matrices, our team optimised the building fabric, curtain wall systems, and structural shading parameters prior to construction. 

Core Engineering Innovations 

The true differentiator of the North Wall Quay project lies in its highly coordinated, innovative mechanical, electrical, and public health infrastructure. 

1. Sophisticated Mechanical and HVAC Systems 

The building employs a sophisticated decentralised comfort conditioning strategy balanced by high-capacity, centralised primary air infrastructure: 

• Four-Pipe Fan Coil Unit (FCU) Network: Open-plan office areas utilise premium, low-noise four-pipe FCUs paired with high-efficiency motors to deliver precise localised heating and cooling. These units are controlled via advanced two-port Pressure Independent Control Valves (PICVs) to prevent hydraulic instability and lock in energy efficiency. 
• Smart Ventilation Control: Fresh air is delivered via centralised, roof-mounted Air Handling Units (AHUs) equipped with premium plate heat exchangers achieving 70% thermal recovery efficiency. Mechanical ventilation is demand-controlled, via local Variable Air Volume (VAV) dampers modulating to maintain carbon dioxide levels for optimum comfort and energy performance. 
• District Heating Enabled Infrastructure: While the Lwr Grd floor plant houses natural gas-fired modulating condensing boiler plant for immediate generation, the piping headers were specifically engineered with built-in connections to enable a seamless future transition to the Dublin City Council (DCC) district heating scheme. 
• Chiller Free-Cooling Integration: Central cooling is provided by an air-cooled modulating chiller plant with a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 360%, natively integrating a fluid free-cooling loop to bypass mechanical compressor operation during cooler ambient windows. 

2. Intelligent Electrical Infrastructure and Smart Control

Power distribution and illumination architecture were mapped out through Building Information Modeling (BIM) to guarantee seamless spatial coordination: 

• Daylight-Harvesting Illumination: Office domains utilise ultra-low-energy LED layouts paired with a digital DALI control network. Photocell sensors continuously sample incoming natural light, dimming or brightening localised LED banks to maintain constant lux levels. 
• Granular Energy Sub-Metering: Underpinning the landlord-tenant interface is a comprehensive sub-metering infrastructure integrated into a graphical Building Management System (BMS), tracking every localised LPHW circuit, chilled water feed, and water supply distinctly. 

3. Sustainable Water Infrastructure and Resource Harvesting

Public health engineering was transformed from a consumption model into a conservation cycle: 

• Rainwater Harvesting Loop: Rainwater run-off from the extensive roof surfaces is directed down to a buried bulk storage tank beneath the car park, passing through multi-stage filtration units to drive the non-potable Recycled Rain Water Supply (RWS) network. 
• Grid Offset Renewables: A 179-square-meter rooftop Photovoltaic (PV) array feeds green electricity directly back into the primary building distribution boards, contributing an estimated 21 MWh of clean energy annually. 

Safety, Security, and Logistics Layout

The baseline utility core houses state-of-the-art life safety and protection architectures engineered for effortless integration with future workspace layouts. 

Integrated Cause and Effect Security Matrix

The property features a fully addressable L2/L3 fire detection network seamlessly mapped to building automation controls to command immediate, deterministic safety protocols: 

• Security Automation: Proprietary Access Control Doors (ACDs) interface directly with the fire matrix, triggering immediate electromagnetic lock releases along designated emergency escape routes while maintaining structural perimeter seals. 
• Active Smoke Ventilation: Automated Opening Vents (AOVs) in the central core and atrium areas drive open alongside dedicated rooftop smoke extract fans, establishing clear, pressurised exhaust lines to keep escape stairs entirely free of toxic fumes. 
• Plant Containment: Mechanical ventilation and gas delivery lines shut down instantly via automated isolation valves, while the smart traction lift network defaults immediately to designated evacuation levels. 
• Dual-Layer Fire Suppression: Tenant plates feature independent, high-pressure wet sprinkler networks, while critical data infrastructure is protected by automated, standalone Gas Fire Suppression systems. 

Advanced Logistics and Flow Systems

Vertical transit is powered by a coordinated bank of high-speed, machine-room-less Schindler traction lifters operating at a rapid 1.6 m/s. Managed via a digital Destination Control System, passengers input their target floor at external terminals. The centralised processing algorithm clusters passengers by destination, drastically cutting intermediary stops and reducing average waiting thresholds to a premier 16 seconds. 

Core Infrastructure Mapping

To optimise active real estate margins, heavy equipment and distribution networks were systematically mapped to distinct zones across the vertical structure: 

1. Structural Zone - Rooftop Plant Decks 
2. Principal Infrastructure Systems Housed -
   High-Efficiency Primary AHUs 
   Modulating Air-Cooled Free-Cooling Chillers 
   Smoke Extract Fan Cores 
   179 m² Monocrystalline PV Array 
3. Engineered Purpose - Concentrates high-volume air treatment and green generation away from tenant spaces while maximizing ambient thermodynamic transfer. 

1. Structural Zone - Vertical Structural Risers 
2. Principal Infrastructure Systems Housed -
   4 Quad-Quadrant Mechanical/Electrical Risers per floor plate 
   High-Isolation Cable Containment 
   Hydronic Distribution and Drainage Networks 
3. Engineered Purpose - Multi-point riser zoning guarantees total flexibility for future tenant partitioning and multi-let structural layouts. 

1. Structural Zone - Lower Ground & Basement 
2. Principal Infrastructure Systems Housed - 
   Modulating Condensing Natural Gas Boilers 
   Central Pumping Headers & Sub-Meter Substations 
   RWS Rainwater Filtration & Core Break Tanks 
   Sprinkler Reservoirs and Pumping Station 
3. Engineered Purpose - Consolidates baseline mechanical generation, high-volume fluid storage, and life safety reserves within high-density subterranean containment zones.